Opinion Blog

Hunt Oil, Kurds, and Washington

E-mails seem to show that the U.S. government didn’t have a problem with Hunt Oil’s deal in the Kurdish North in Iraq. Frankly, that is not a surprise. In fact, I would expect that conversations this took place beforehand given the sensitive geopolitical nature of the deal. But this is different from what had been said when the deal drew headlines last year The U.S. government, and Mr. Bush, expressed surprise and consternation.

All this strikes me as a wink-and-nod deal, that administration officials in Washington wanted arm’s distance deniability if the deal stirred controversy. It seems to reflect different moods– Washington officials favoring the deal and U.S. diplomats in Iraq who worrying that it might be counterproductive.

I’m not sure why this deal requires the fishing expedition from Waxman’s committee. I don’t get the impression that any law was broken. Ah yes, it is an election year.

Top Picks

ArchivesAbout this blog

About this Blog

The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board was the first editorial board in the nation to use a blog to openly discuss hot topics and issues among its members and with readers. Our intent is to pull back the curtain on the daily process of producing the unsigned editorials that reflect the opinion of the newspaper, and to share analysis and opinion on issues of interest to board members and invited guest bloggers.